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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

HOME MADE MARSHMALLOWS

Ahhhh so that's how they do it. They pipe the fluffy mixture through long tubes and cut its tubular shape into equal pieces. I have always wondered how they do it.

And now I need to brush my teeth. And gargle my throat out. With salted water. That was exceedingly sweet. Not the marshmallow itself but from the tons of icing sugar I used to coat it with. To prevent it from sticking to everything it came into contact with ~ fingers, knife, mini paper cases, table, tongue, throat and teeth.

These, my friends, are not to be made in some crazy hot, humid, tropical peninsula that starts with the letter M, that sits right smack on the equator. If anyone around here has been wholly successful in making marshmallows...

that had set perfectly, that did not shimmer with wetness as it set, that did not require a crazy coating of icing sugar, that did not cling and stretch as you pulled your fingers away from it, that you could 'lift' out,I would like to know.

In the words of my grandkids these were globby.

I will never make these again unless I relocate to the land of dry and cold, like the North Pole, for example. But buy them I will. Yes ma'am. Because I do so love marshmallows.

This is a recipe I had gotten from the Hungry Mouse. It is a good recipe if you don't live with me. And I am completely envious when I see hers. I was never able to "lift it off " the tray. *sob*

This is also my second attempt at making it. My first attempt was a complete failure because I had failed to whip the fluff for a full twenty minutes. Hence it never firmed up and solidified. At all. Apparently whipping the mixture thickens the marshmallow fluff and firms it up. A lot.

However I am quite convinced that humidity is marshmallow's public enemy number one as well. Marshmallow Making and Malaysia? Uh uh. So not friends. But you know... maybe its just me. In denial I live not.

2 cups cold water (1 cup for the gelatin and 1 cup for the sugar syrup)

3 cups granulated sugar

2 cups light corn syrup

1/2 tsp salt

4 T vanilla extract

powdered sugar, (TONS) for dusting

Put 1 cup of cold water in the bowl of your mixer. Add the gelatin to the water. Give it a stir to combine the gelatin and water well and let it sit until it turns into a sandy mass. It will have the consistency of soft wet sand. That's perfectly fine.

Let the gelatin sit like that for about 30 minutes while you prepare the pans and boil the syrup.

Prep your pans. I used a 12 by 12 inch pan. Dust it generously with powdered sugar over the sink to alleviate mess on your work top. Set aside.

Pour a cup of cold water into a deep 5 quart pot. you need a deep pot for this because the syrup will boil and bubble at the beginning. Turn on a high heat. Toss in the sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir the mixture to combine well and to melt the sugar. If sugar crystals form on the side brush them down with a wet brush.

Next clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot with out letting the end of the thermometer touch the bottom of the pot but making sure the thermometer is submerged in the sugar syrup.

Keep the heat on high to bring the mixture to a boil. The mixture will bubble up rapidly at first and then stop. If your pot is deep enough don't worry.

Boil the sugar until it reaches 244 F or the firm ball stage (which is different from the hard ball stage). Take it off the heat.

Warning ~ HOT sugar syrup is dangerous. Do be careful when handling. Never let it touch your skin because it will really HURT and burn you. Always use a pair of thick pot holders or oven mitts when handling the pot.

Turn the mixer on with the whisk attachment and beat the gelatin mixture to chunk it up. With the mixer on LOW pour the hot sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture.

At this point it's going to smell bad because of the gelatin. Don't worry. When all the syrup is in the bowl turn the speed up to medium high. But do this gradually if you do not use a splash guard.

Continue to whip and the mixture will gradually turn opaque and then completely solid white. Beat for a full twenty minutes then add the vanilla extract. Whip for a further 5 minutes.

The mixture would have increased in volume and thickness and be fluffy and white as snow.

Pour into prepared pan or pans. Dust the tops with powdered sugar (hey! I forgot to do this! Could this perhaps be the cause of all the stickiness?.....Nah I don't think so). Leave the pans uncovered on the counter overnight to set up.

When set cut into squares and roll in more powdered sugar to coat each side. Knock off excess sugar (if you can). Store them in an airtight container.

Zurin, it wasn't so bad when I made my marshmallows but one thing I notice is that the recipe calls for powdered sugar for dusting? That is strange, the sugar will likely absorb moisture and turn sticky. Usually a mixture of cornflour and a little powdered sugar is used. Love it that you stoop low for the shots and the swirl of purple changes the whole landscape!

Zurin, these are adorable! I love the pictures. I saw a tv show the other day about marshmallows and they said that in the old days instead of using gelatin they used gum arabic. I'm vegetarian so I think I will try with gum arabic- once I lay my mitts on a stand mixer that is!

I must say ..without boasting as it was pure luck..I made some.. somewhere on my blog they are:) They were easy..cut well..looked great..tasted wonderful..Jain made the same ones I think..and she lives in sunny California..granted no humidity..But I bet they would be easy for you..Try them:)

They may be a pain to make, Zurin, but they certainly are pretty on the plate. I've purchased homemade marshmallows at my farmers' market, but have never made them. I think I'll wait till the rainy season is over to try it.

They look beautiful Zurin...I can feel your frustration that is for sure. I make them every year for the holidays, but it is usually cold here. I never get the sticky stuff going on. Some recipe use all powdered sugar, some cornstarch and powdered sugar and I have see a few that use Potato starch with the powdered sugar. The one I use calls for a mixture of the cornstarch and the sugar. They last a long time here, and do not get sticky. I use Martha Stewarts recipe, maybe you might take a look and compare. I wonder if you let the marshmallows cure in the fridge it might help? http://linda-howtocookawolf.blogspot.com/search?q=marshmallows

Lol are you always this funny with your blog posts?? :) Thanks for visiting my blog, these marshmallows are soooo cute and looks fabulous! PS you talking about Malaysia??? I got a bit confused with the whole hot climate place thingy bit.

I made them from scratch early this year using real marshmallow root just to see what they would be like... well the first batch was great for marshmallow fluff and the next batch was better but... well I sooo understand what you are saying. Yours look pretty good to me though... a million times better than my effort (which did taste great).

Wow...you make marshmallows! Amazing! M is no.1 enemy of marshmallow? Now I know I cannot make them. My name begins with M....LOL. We are having Arctic blast here....snow and blizzard. I must ask my friends (names without M...haha) to make and share with me :P

I use Smitten Kitchen's recipe for Marshmallows, and they come out perfect every time! I did sprinkle them with a little powdered sugar, and it kept them from sticking to everything. I'd say try again! I know the humidity has to be the pits, but maybe second time is a charm? :)